Development of the Lenticular Truss Bridge in America
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 12, Issue 1
Abstract
Lenticular-shaped iron truss bridges, built exclusively by the Berlin Bridge Company of East Berlin, Conn., dominated the New England and adjacent area’s modest span bridge market for over a decade at the end of the nineteenth century. This paper examines this phenomenon in the larger context of earlier European development of the lenticular form and, with the assistance of numerous patent drawings and photographs of American lenticular bridges that were either proposed or built prior to the 1883 formation of the Berlin Bridge Company.
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Bibliography
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Acknowledgments
This article benefited from the comments of Saul Brody, Marv Lessen, James Stewart, and Gretchen Grunenfelder, who read early drafts. Janet Clemmensen and John Gonzales at the California State Library helped track down information on the Sacramento Timber Bridge. Adrian Vaughan and Dirk Bühler provided advice concerning early European lenticulars. Gene Sullivan and Denise Shields of the ASCE staff guided the manuscript through the editorial process and made it a reality.
References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 12 • Issue 1 • January 2007
Pages: 120 - 129
Copyright
© 2007 ASCE.
History
Received: Jan 25, 2005
Accepted: Jul 15, 2005
Published online: Jan 1, 2007
Published in print: Jan 2007
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